yoga travel

Gratitude practice.

Gratitude practice.

We finished the 3rd week of my Shiva Yoga 200hr Teacher Training, with a 108 Sun Salutations morning practice, in the park, near the studio.
The Sun Salutations are essentially a gratitude practice. Practicing gratitude helps to lift the mind up. The yogis understood that the mind was constantly falling down and never satisfied. Modern psychology is starting to recognize this as well. Recent studies have shown that practicing gratitude changes your brain chemistry. Grateful to be right here in this moment!
The Sun Salutations also help to warm the body up, connect body, breath, and mind, balance the nervous system, and help us to connect the idea of the sun as the brightest thing in our world to the idea of our journey in yoga inward to experience the brightest part of ourselves.

Tantra Philosophy.

Tantra Philosophy.

The students are working on some mandala’s in these pictures. One of the key concepts of Tantra is connecting the microcosm with the macrocosm. A mandala is a picture that represents the entire Universe. If we look at the yoga story of the wave and the ocean — Tantra says that you are both the individual wave and you are the water that is connected to everything and everyone. You are the wave and you are the ocean. Tantra philosophy primarily influences Hatha Yoga, Kundalini Yoga and Laya Yoga. Some of the tantric practices are also found and were practiced alongside all of the other orthodox and heterodox philosophy teachings of the Classical period. Tantra reexamines the role of the feminine. Darkness isn’t meant to be overcome or avoided. Tantra instead speaks of transformation. Turn your darkness into light. Reimagine your darkness as light. If you want to experience God, become like a God.

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Dreamer Yoga Festival!

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Dreamer Yoga Festival!

This was a fun night. Grateful to have been invited and honored to teach with such a talented group of teachers. Some beautiful performances after the teacher introductions and a hot and sweaty Zumba class at the end of the night. I even got an award for being one of the students dancing with the most enthusiasm during the Zumba class. Not necessarily with the most talent but with the most enthusiasm.

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When did you first start practicing yoga?

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When did you first start practicing yoga?

Fun pictures at the Guangzhou Dreamer Yoga Festival.
My first yoga practice was when I was studying acting in the UK at RADA for a summer program. We did yoga in one of the movement classes. I don’t know if they were allowed to call it yoga back then because of the perceived connection to religion. I looked back on what we were doing when I started practicing regularly after I’d returned home from the program and realized we’d been doing yoga in some of our movement classes.

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Backbending Workshop!

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Backbending Workshop!

From our Backbending workshop last week in Shenzhen at Dream Space Yoga!
I love this deep Shoulder stretch and Chest opener. It’s a great partner pose that is a real “feel good” pose for both partners.
I’ve been working a lot on opening my shoulders and my hip flexors to deepen my backbend poses.
If we are really honest with ourselves, the “yoga mirror” shows you everything you need to look at, all of your imbalances, all of your strengths and all of your weaknesses. Do you have the courage to look in the mirror — and are you willing to put the effort into making the necessary changes in your life — both on and off the mat to find balance?
What are you working on right now? What areas of your body need to open up or get stronger? What areas of your life need some attention?

Finishing up day 4 at Yonion Festival!

Finishing up day 4 at Yonion Festival!

We finished up a beautiful 4 days here at the Yonion Festival! I had a lot of fun. I met a lot of new students. I made some new friends. And I got to connect with some old friends who I haven’t seen in years. Grateful to everyone involved who made the festival such a huge success. Grateful for the experience. I’m so glad they invited me to teach this year. It was such a pleasure being here.

One of the greatest - Tymi Howard

One of the greatest - Tymi Howard

There’s some great teachers here at the Yonion Festival this year! I’m honored to be teaching alongside some of the best in the world. One of the teachers here is Tymi Howard. So nice of Tymi to come to my Shiva Power class today. Tymi has a big following all over the world, and especially here in China. She owns Guruv Yoga in Orlando, Florida too. I have been collaborating with her at her studio for the past year but we had never met and we finally got to connect in person here in China. Small world. This year she invited me to teach a small part of one of her Teacher Training programs too, which was a lot of fun. She has a wonderful community in Orlando. I’m excited to be heading back to Orlando in June to teach some classes and workshops at her studio again too. Love this girl! And I love this picture.

Visiting Sister Irene in Amorgos.

Visiting Sister Irene in Amorgos.

After a long detour where we made a wrong turn and ended up taking a beautiful winding road across the island we finally got back on the main road and headed to see Irene at another monastery. Sister Irene is such a special woman. I love visiting her when I come to Amorgos. She has put so much energy and so much love into taking care of her monastery. It’s beautiful!

My apartment in Athens is right below the Acropolis!

My apartment in Athens is right below the Acropolis!

My apartment in Athens is right below the Acropolis! Athens is such a beautiful city. I’ve spent the last two days walking around and exploring little, narrow cobblestone streets, cute cafes — with incredibly fresh food, and checking out some of the beautiful architecture and historic buildings here. The city has a really nice vibe. I’m so glad I’ll be back next week and get to do a little more sight seeing. I’m teaching classes and workshops next weekend at Panos Skylos and Upward Dog Yoga! Excited to practice with you again Athens Yogis.

Celebration dinner!

Celebration dinner!

Celebration dinner on Saturday night at Mako Restaurant! So good. Love this restaurant. Good food and great company. It always feels so good when we complete one of these training programs but also a little sad that it is over. Make sure you are breathing into every moment. Soak it up! This is your life. It’s happening right here and right now.

Separation exists in the mind.

Separation exists in the mind.


Hanging out in Bali after a photo shoot with some new friends. Yoga allows each of us to experience our true nature. Who are you at the center of your Self?
You are the experience of awareness experiencing itself. You are not the witness, but the experience of witnessing. You are not the lover, but the experience of loving. You are not compassionate, but the experience of compassion. You are not kind, but the experience of kindness.
Expansive. Beyond time and space. You are everywhere and nowhere. You are pure love. Separation exists only in your mind, and because of your ego.
Imagine, for moment, it’s as if there’s no you and no me. Just for a moment, there’s no separation.
We are travelers on a journey —home, to experience who we really are, underneath all the layers of who we thought we were.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day!

How open is your heart? How much love is flowing through you? Yoga philosophy teaches us that when we quiet the movements of the mind, and experience the deepest part of our Self — love, kindness, and compassion will flow through us and into the world. What kind of love is your love? Is it this love, kindness, and compassion, flowing through you to all those around you?
My teacher Dharma would say reverse engineer it. Maybe you’ve never experienced Samadhi, or you haven’t gone deep enough to experience your inner Light yet. Pretend you are already there. Practice being loving, kind, and compassionate. Be of service in the world to those around you. So much love for everyone who has touched my path. Grateful for each of you! Hope you have a wonderful day today and are letting your inner Light shine through and light up those around you. When the Light is flowing through you, you don’t need one special person, everyone is special, and everyone deserving of love. Namaste.

Dubai Eye 103.8!

Dubai Eye 103.8!

I had the opportunity to be on a popular radio show today on Dubai Eye 103.8 today and got to share about yoga and my journey! The hosts were really wonderful, funny, and asked great questions. It felt so good to be able to share a lot of knowledge about yoga, the benefits of the practice, and share my own story and yoga journey. Grateful for the experience! I hope the interview inspired a few people to get on their mat and try yoga. It’s definitely changed my life in a number of positive ways.

Exploring During Elysia Convention

Exploring During Elysia Convention

Yogis! It’s that time again. I booked my flight to Greece yesterday. Want to come on an adventure with me? Join me at the 3rd Annual Elysia Yoga Convention, at the 5* Aegialis Hotel & Spa, on the Greek Island of Amorgos! The convention is March 28th - April 4th! It’s an incredible value! Accommodation, 3 gourmet meals per day, Island excursions, and full yoga program — all for one low price! There’s single, double, and triple occupancy available. I hope you can join me. Amorgos is a really special place. See you there!!!

www.elysiayogaconvention.com

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Elysia Yoga Convention!

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Elysia Yoga Convention!

We left the 1st Elysia Yoga Convention in 2017 on such a high!

I enjoyed meeting so many wonderful presenters and students there. This pic was from a farewell dinner that some of us enjoyed together, in Athens, before going on our separate ways.

Traditional Hawaiian Bonfire Ceremony!

Traditional Hawaiian Bonfire Ceremony!

We had a very special Traditional Hawaiian Bonfire Ceremony on the last night of our retreat! Thank you to Makoa Quest for organizing and bringing us this experience. This was definitely a highlight of the trip for me. Hearing traditional stories about Maui and Hawaii, offering old patterns to the fire and letting them go, making a commitment to live the best possible life, setting new intentions, and a special Ava ceremony. Deep and powerful. And the words of the Hawaiian Cultural Practitioner aligned with all that we are practicing in our yoga practice. The truth is Universal. Grateful for this experience and to have been able to share it with my students. 🙏

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The volcano Haleakala!

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The volcano Haleakala!

The volcano Haleakala! It’s been dormant for almost 300 yrs. Incredible! I love the girls jumping in their Shiva Yoga shirts. Great shot! Maui has so much to see and explore. And the different parts of the island are so different. I will definitely be going back to explore a little more. Not enough time in just 1 week! And it’s so close — I can’t believe I haven’t been already until now. Beautiful! This incredible planet we live on. Let’s take good care of her and try to leave behind something better than what we found.

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Disconnected parts of you reconnecting.

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Disconnected parts of you reconnecting.

I had my first big back bending practicing last night. It felt so good. I've been easing my way back into deeper practices after taking a week off over the holidays. My back was stiff. It took ages to warm up. I kept pushing and kept going deeper when I thought I had hit my edge.

Galapagos Islands - Day 7!

Galapagos Islands - Day 7!

This was our last day to explore the islands. The trip had started off feeling like it was going slow and then a few of the days just flew by and suddenly we were on our last day. We had bonded so much as a group. It had been such an amazing time together on the islands. I was going to miss this Galapagos Islands family and our home away from home at Semilla Verde.

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